The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-28
GOTHAM'S NERVOUSNESS.
THE MESSENGER BOYS THE ONLY
SLOW POKES.


TIE Money Kings Rushing About Like
Cyclones Absurdities of Home Dec
Grafton Apparently Limitless.
New YORK, Aug. 27.-New Workers have
the reputation of being the most nervous
people on Garth. A stranger is at once i'm
pressed with this fact as he takes an elevated
train to go to his hotel. People hustle in
and out of the train like mad, and there is
no waiting for anybod- 1t is only by this
promptitude of action that it is possible to
transport half a million people day on the
elevated railways of New York
Wall street is the centre of New York's
nervousness. Watch the men who frequent
it, and you will see that they rush down the
thoroughfare as if pursued by somebody.
jay Gould, and even staid old Russell Sage,
step along with springy gait outwalking
the messenger boys who are about the only
deliberate persons seen on the street. Tn
the Stock Exchange every man is constantly
on the move, and it is this desire for per-
petual action which leads members 10 snatch
off each others hats, and engage in all man
ner of horse play, such as stutiing bits OF
paper down each others backs, and similar
movements of an undignified nature.
The typical old keeper of hotel used to
be a man of slow movements and great de-
liberation, but there is in New Y ork but
one of this old school, and he is Landlord
Ashman, of the Sinclair House. Frank Al
len, of the Astor House; Edward Vernam,
of the Morton House and Edward Stokes,
of the Hoffman House, are examples Of the
restless modern landlord. Mr.. Stokes is
perhaps the most nervous man In New
York There is a legend to the effect that
he is never known to sit still for more than
five minutes at Il time Next to him in the
line of nervousness is buyer for Sweetzer,
Pembroke g. Co., the dry goods men. The
salesman who sells him bill OF goods must
follow him as he PAGES the floor, or perhaps
pursue MIN up stairs into the upper story
departments of the house.
Ii you meet on the street a printer or
composing room foreman from one of the
great newspapers you will imagine that you
have at last found men who are not in such
an eager rush as the rest of New Workers,
but when once they have returned to work
every man of them goes about his labors
with quick, energetic movements. This is
especially true of workers on the afternoon
papers, where time is measured by the sec
onds, and where delay of minute or two
in issuing an edition may mean the loss of
the sale of thousands of copies.
Mr.. Morosini, Goulds right hand man, is
large gentleman of formidable physique.
He lives up the Hudson, an hours journey
from his Office ON Wall street. Early every
morning he rides to the Grand Central de-
pot, at Forty second street, and then walks
with quick, nervous tread from there to
his Office ON Wall street, a distance of over
two and a half miles.
The old Dutchmen, who were once in the
majority in New York, were men of slow
movements, but their descendants are as
restless as the New Workers of Yankee de
scent, and the infection seems to have spread
to the Dutchmen in the Fatherland across
the sea. Jay Gould relates how he went,
not long ago, to Amsterdam TO negotiate
railroad deal He supposed that the Am
sterdamers would smoke and deliberate over
the matter day or two. He called on the
parties in interest, laid the case before them,
and was surprised when they consummated
the bargain in exactly ten minutes.
The Vanderbilt boys, with the exception
of the poetic George, are early risers, rapid
walkers and nervous in their movements.
Chauncey NJ Depew PUSHES into his office
like hurricane early in the morning, and
is constantly on the move until he goes
home in the evening. Go into any of the
resorts where prominent New Workers take
their luncheoEs, and you will be at once i'm
pressed with the fact of their nervous
temperament. The brothers of Robert Bon
ner take their midday meal daily at the AS
tor House. The moment they drop into
TO the carving table and orders their lunch
con, with the supplementary remark: 1T is
for the Messrs. Bonner, hurry it upW Rob
ert Bonner himself Is a man OF slow move
ment as compared with other New York
editors. Stick pin in him, and he would
probably turn about, with the calmnesS pc
culiar to the old school of New Workers, and
ask what you meant. Try the same ex-
pertinent with James Gordon Bennett, and
he would wheel about and offer to give you
battle ON the spot Resort to the same arti-
fee with Joseph Pulitzer, and he would
spring up with rage, turn, upon you and
probably knock you out i'll iiffy. He is
the most nervous of all New York Journal
lists, and. walks rapidly, with his broad
shoulders thrown we'll back.
Even Mark Twain, who once had the
reputation of being slow in action, has
visited New York so often that he has
caught the infection of nervousness, and he
has almost abandoned literature for the
more exciting pastime of speculation. He
is reported to be now engaged in one of the
most gigantic financial enterprises of his
life. Henry Watterson comes to New York
every summer to get rest and entire relief
from the cares of his newspaper. He starts
out on his vacation with the instruction to
his editors that he is not to be bothered
with the details of his Office, but after he
has been in New York about fortnight his
energy gets Jne DelueI, Oh MN, ana he Keeps
a private wire from New York to the
Cou1'ier-Journat hot with specials for his
paper.
MIR. Arkell, publisher of the Judge, is a
short, firmly built bundle of nerves, talks in
quick, jerky sentences, and has the faculty
of conversing with energetic Mr.. Gilman,
his head artist, and caller in the same
breath.
The best field for the study of the pro-
verbal nervousness of New York is Broad
way. Watch a stranger attempt to cross
the thoroughfare, and you will see him hest
tate, wait u long time, and finally try to
cross the crowded street with his accustomed
deliberate gait. A New Yorker, on the
other hand, makes a dive into the surging
procession of vehicles, darts almost under
the feet of an up-going team, dashes in front
of a down-bound car, escapes being run over
by q hairs breadth, and is across the street
in jiffy. Observe the drivers of trucks
and street cars on Broadway, and you will
see that they are affected with the same
restless spirit Generally speaking, it is ini-
possible TO accelerate the tide of travel on
crowded Broadway street. but the truck
drivers yell at drivers ahead Of them, urge
them to hurry on. and curse in a manner
that would fill the heart of canal boat
man with envy. The street car drivers
keep shrill whistles ip their mouths. and
blow them with a constant screetch of
warning TO drivers ahead of them TO hurry